Health Impostors: Let’s Draw The Line, Folks

Shouldn’t companies that SAY they’re all about health actually BE about health?

Do you shop at Walgreens, “at the corner of happy and healthy?” Because they’re one of the top places people buy cigarettes.

In fact, total cigarette sales are down – but pharmacy cigarette sales are expected to triple! They’re right behind the counter, quick-in and -out. How convenient. Good for profits, perhaps, but we all know that’s where the goodness stops on this one.

A local high-end fitness club touts itself as a “one-stop shop for wellness” and hosts cigar events. Seriously? Couldn’t they come up with a more creative, more healthy, enticement for their events? I’m not sure if this should get filed under “no imagination” or “total loss of credibility”.

And what about “health clubs” that still offer UV, not spray, tanning, with accompanying premature aging of the skin plus increased risk of skin cancer for some?

(And don’t get me started again on Costco, which still lets employees smoke right outside the front door even though it offers smoking cessation as part of its corporate wellness program.)

It’s already tough enough for most people to eat a good diet, get enough exercise and maintain a healthy life/work balance.